Bible League: Living His Word "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."There are the former things and there are the future things. The former things are destined to pass away and the future things are destined to take their place. What are the former things? As understood in our verse for today, the former things are anything and everything evil that is associated with the present dispensation. The former things include things like death, mourning for the dead, crying about things, and pain. All these evils and every other evil will have passed away. Instead of the present realities they are now, they will become the "former things" that no longer apply. What are the future things? The future things are anything and everything good associated with the future dispensation to come. The future things include everything in the list of our verse. The future things include no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain. All these goods and every other good not listed here will have come to pass. Instead of the future things they are now, they will become the present realities of the new age. How do we know all this? We know all this because "a loud voice from the throne" of God told the Apostle John all this (Revelation 21:3). John testified to what he heard by writing it down for our benefit. We know all this because we have believed by faith what John wrote down. We are people who live by faith. We are people who can see beyond John the Apostle to the one who revealed all this to him. We have, however, more than just John's testimony. We have personal experience of the future things he wrote about. Although we have not experienced them in their fullness, we have experienced the "first fruits" of them (Romans 8:23; II Thessalonians 2:13). Although we do not have the fullness of the Kingdom to come, the Kingdom is already here (Matthew 12:28). Already the LORD is wiping away our tears, already He is saving us from death, already He postpones our mourning, and already our crying and pain are alleviated. We know all this, then, from first-hand experience, and we eagerly wait for the day when the fullness of what we know will have come to pass. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingSong of Solomon 4, 5 Song of Solomon 4 -- Behold, you are beautiful, my love NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Song of Solomon 5 -- I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading 2 Corinthians 13 2 Corinthians 13 -- Test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; Final Greetings NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.Insight Too often we view prayer as a time for comfort, reflection, or making our requests known to God. But here Paul urges believers to join in his struggle by means of prayer. Prayer is also a weapon in all believers' armor as we intercede for others who join in the fight against Satan. Challenge Do your prayers reflect that urgency? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 149:2 Let Israel rejoice in him.Be glad of heart, O believer, but take care that thy gladness has its spring in the Lord. Thou hast much cause for gladness in thy God, for thou canst sing with David, "God, my exceeding joy." Be glad that the Lord reigneth, that Jehovah is King! Rejoice that he sits upon the throne, and ruleth all things! Every attribute of God should become a fresh ray in the sunlight of our gladness. That he is wise should make us glad, knowing as we do our own foolishness. That he is mighty, should cause us to rejoice who tremble at our weakness. That he is everlasting, should always be a theme of joy when we know that we wither as the grass. That he is unchanging, should perpetually yield us a song, since we change every hour. That he is full of grace, that he is overflowing with it, and that this grace in covenant he has given to us; that it is ours to cleanse us, ours to keep us, ours to sanctify us, ours to perfect us, ours to bring us to glory--all this should tend to make us glad in him. This gladness in God is as a deep river; we have only as yet touched its brink, we know a little of its clear sweet, heavenly streams, but onward the depth is greater, and the current more impetuous in its joy. The Christian feels that he may delight himself not only in what God is, but also in all that God has done in the past. The Psalms show us that God's people in olden times were wont to think much of God's actions, and to have a song concerning each of them. So let God's people now rehearse the deeds of the Lord! Let them tell of his mighty acts, and "sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously." Nor let them ever cease to sing, for as new mercies flow to them day by day, so should their gladness in the Lord's loving acts in providence and in grace show itself in continued thanksgiving. Be glad ye children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God. Daily Light on the Daily Path Psalm 104:34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.Psalm 89:6 For who in the skies is comparable to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty is like the LORD, Matthew 13:46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Revelation 1:5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood-- Ephesians 1:22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, Colossians 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Mark 7:24 Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. John 7:46 The officers answered, "Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks." Psalm 31:16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant; Save me in Your lovingkindness. Psalm 4:6 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?" Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O LORD! 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